Eat This Riverside: Saucy Guadalajaran Sandwiches from Tortas Ahogadas La Chiva Rayada

Have you had a torta ahogada? The name of this Guadalajaran specialty translates literally to “drowned sandwich.” It’s in the same juicy branch of the sandwich family tree as LA’s French Dip and Chicago’s Italian Beef, a sandwich subcategory characterized by the fact that the whole shebang, bread meat and all, is dunked in a soupy concoction just before being served. Whereas the French Dip and the Italian Beef are dipped in au jus repurposed from the cooking pot, the torta ahogada is drenched in a spicy chili sauce (or milder tomato salsa) and served in a bowl or a plastic-lined basket with a spoon to facilitate further basting as needed if unsoaked bread presents itself. According to my buddy Michael, some specialists in Mexico go so far as to provide a plastic glove along with the sandwich to make it easier to get a hold of the slippery beast without drowning your hand in salsa along with the torta. 

Unlike other Mexican tortas, which are often assembled on a fluffy light bolillo roll, tortas ahogadas are traditionally served on birotes, sturdy Jalisciense sourdough demi-baguettes, whose crunchy crust lends support to the sandwich even when saturated with sauce. Lunch is still a race against time - even a birote will dissolve eventually when soaked in juice. So few of life’s pleasures last. A lunch made of a torta ahogada is an edible reminder that everything is temporary, a gustatory memento mori filled with pork.

We are fortunate to have a torta ahogada specialist within a stone’s throw of downtown Riverside. Just across the Santa Ana River on Mission in Jurupa Valley, Tortas Ahogada La Chiva Rayada serves up a delicious rendition of this Guadalajaran sandwich, along with a curated menu of other specialties from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Chef / Owner Alma is faithful to torta tradition. Unable to source suitable bread from nearby suppliers, she imports birotes by the crate every month from Guadalajara’s Panaderia la Cabaña, freezing them upon receipt and then thawing them for use in her tortas ahogadas. 

At La Chiva Rayada, the sandwiches come in a mild, thin tomato sauce; a squirt bottle of fiery salsa picante is provided alongside for patrons to spike their bowls according to their own preference. Alma’s tortas ahogadas can be filled with pork, chicken, or beef. I liked her version of pork carnitas, a steamy fall-apart tender pile of stewed pork shoulder. The same meat is also available as “pierna,” mixed up with an intense chile in adobo sauce. I didn’t try the buche (pork tripe), but I plan to on future visits. A heap of vinegary pickled red onions completes the plate and provides a bright counterpoint to the rich sandwich. Order to go, and you’ll get a styrofoam clamshell containing the sandwich and a separate baggy filled with sauce so you can drown your sandwich at your convenience whenever you arrive, wherever it is you’re headed. If you like mopping up gravy with a piece of bread, then this is a lunch you will truly appreciate.

If you’re not in the mood for a mess, La Chiva Rayada also serves lonches, sauceless versions of the same sandwiches, served on standard-issue bolillo rolls. 

I was happy to see that La Chiva Rayada also offers carne en su jugo, another signature dish from Guadalajara. This is a beef & bean soup, studded with chunks of bacon, the broth a deep-green murky concoction of tomatillo and chicken stock. Garnish with onion and cilantro, dip a tortilla or two, and you have a stew fit for a king. Alma’s pozole is also terrific. 

If soup and a sandwich (or sandwich in a soup with soup on the side) isn’t enough, consider the taco dorado. La Chiva Rayada’s crispy fried taquitos come filled with beans, potatoes, or requeson, the Spanish-speaking world’s answer to ricotta cheese. Order them sencillo, and they’ll be garnished with only shredded cabbage and pickled onion; for a few bucks more, they come topped with your choice of meat. They are delicious - fresh, fried, and crunchy. 

For a postre, choose from several house-made custard options. I was interested in seeing jericalla, a Jalisciense flan variant with a pleasantly leathery scorched top.

Tortas Ahogadas La Chiva Rayada is located at 5572 Mission Boulevard. They’re closed on Sundays. Parking is available on the street or in the lot behind the restaurant.